Joy

Traveling through Australia with Gangaji and her husband Eli has been a grace filled adventure into the Truth of Being in a land known for its unusual wildlife as well as the mysteriously energizing sound of the didgeridoo that is deeply rooted in Australia’s rich Aboriginal heritage. Currently we are in Byron Bay Australia.  There is a powerful energy in Byron that speaks the deepest silence of my heart.  It is not a silent energy the way the mind perceives silence—there is a presence that holds the breath of the ocean and the wind of the trees—a vortex.  It holds the energy of a crossroad, or decision, or perhaps more simply choice.  It is no small wonder that the Aboriginal people never settled here; they felt the purpose of this mysterious energy was to aid in decision-making and held their tribal councils here. What the ancients felt, I also feel—the energy of choice—What am I giving my attention to? What are you giving your attention to?

Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)  Did Jesus speak to give you the joy that you don’t have or is the purpose of his words to reveal not only what you already have, but the truth of who you are? We just completed a five-day silent retreat with Gangaji and Eli that unexpectedly revealed the sublime depth of this life-changing teaching of Jesus.  Gangaji began the retreat by saying, “Such a joy to be together such a precious time that we take for each other this retreat time. And such a privilege that you actual have the time that we can meet like this and deeply consider the most essential questions and issues of a human’s life. What do you want? What is important? What do you have? What can you loose? What can’t be taken away from you? So I am happy to see this joy on your face. It is a reflection of what is at the bottom of everything in all of us, this overflowing joy that only wants out. Its not always ecstatic at times it can be quite sober, but it is the joy to be and here we are in this together.” How can silence of this retreat that is still reverberating in my heart help you understand to the teaching of Jesus on an even deeper level?

Eli said, “When you realize the sacred space that is alive in you as you. And so you respect this sacred space you are respecting yourself. You have such great respect for yourself that you don’t want to tarnish it, you don’t want to throw it away, you don’t want to misuse it, you don’t want to abuse it. Just this deep deep love and caring, attention. Then you realize this sacred space is so precious it’s who you are, its your own majesty.  And you can live in surrender to That.” Gangaji adds, “You no longer trivialize yourself or demean yourself.”

Eli continues, “Or inflate yourself.  So it’s the two positions we tend to take, you know the self-inflation ‘I love myself just the way I am and I am perfect just the way I am and everything is great’ or ‘I am terrible and I am bad and I have to change.’ Gangaji explains, “Both of those are subject to change, the truth of yourself is changeless, unconditional, and truly sacred.  So when we say namaste, or hello, or welcome, it’s truly recognizing that from the outside in and from the inside out.  Not as heaviness, not as a religious practice, not as a dogma, but as the lightness of being, the joy of being.”

Joy is your true nature, you ‘think’ you are good or bad or something in between and this natural joy is hidden for your awareness and you suffer.  Most people on the planet are suffering simply because they are believing the thoughts they are telling themselves about themselves or other people.  Jesus offers you a moment of silence a moment of stopping to recognize your true majesty—to recognize the truth of who you are at the core—vast silent sacred joy!

Gangaji describes, “Silence is recognized all over the planet as sacred. Whether you have religion or not, we take moments of silence, to honor everything, birth, death, the end of war, the beginning of war, killings in war, funerals, celebrations of love—just a moment of silence, because nothing can touch that…if you hold it [the retreat] that way I guarantee it will effect you in ways you cannot imagine.”

The silence of the retreat was like a powerful current that carried away all of the stories that were weighing people down.  One woman began the retreat distraught by the fact that her twenty-four year old neighbor had killed himself the day before. The transformation in her by the end of the retreat was jaw dropping.  Just by stopping and resting in the silence she was freed from the intense weight of this unexpected heartbreak, this unexpected catastrophe.

Jesus explains, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5) What is the nature of a vine? If Jesus is the vine and you are the branch is there any separation between you and Jesus? And if you look around you right now do you see Jesus?  So if Jesus is not physically here, what is he referring to?  What is the source of Joy within you? What is it that beats your heart and breaths your lungs?  What is the source of your life?

During the retreat we did an exercise were we took a deep look at what we are resisting and what we are receiving?  If you stop for a moment in the silence of your heart and take a deep look at what you are resisting you might be surprised to discover what you are resisting is actually what you want to be receiving.  One of the most common responses that everyone has is that they were resisting intimacy or resisting love.  On even closer examination you can see that both resistance and receiving are only ideas that live in your mind, the truth is that you are receiving the love that you are, the silence that you are whether or not you are aware of this vast Love! Whoa!

There was a moment during the retreat that rocked me to the core.  During an exercise when we were asking the question to ourselves, ‘What are we receiving?’ the entire room vanished and I was overwhelmed by an amazing vision of Jesus.  It is impossible to put this vision into words other than to say he appeared in a brilliant light filled with a love there are no words to describe. In that moment he revealed that the beatitudes, also known as the blessings of Jesus, are a direct result of knowing the truth of who you are.  The direct experience of knowing that fundamentally you are this unending vast silent Love.

If you deeply know you are this vast unending silent love, will you not inherit the earth?  As Love don’t you naturally give and receive mercy? And if you know you are love are you not naturally comforted even in times when you are mourning? And I you deeply know that you are love, are you not seeing God? And if you know that you are love are you not naturally a peacemaker? And if you know that you are Love isn’t it true that you will know the source of everything, is it not true that you will know the source of the saltiness of salt?  And if you deeply know that you are love, will you not naturally love your neighbor as yourself? If you deeply know that you are love and your neighbor is love, isn’t loving them loving yourself—love loving love? In this vast love is not both the law and the prophets fulfilled?” Whoa!

Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for thy shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Who is pure in heart? Is it a choice or is it something that happens to a chosen few?  What do you have to do to become pure in heart? How does it enable you to see God?  Whoa—See God—Did you hear that?! Out of all the things that Jesus spoke this is perhaps the most profound. Is it not true that regardless of your past or what you think might happen in the future, the core of you, the essence of life itself that is beating your heart, is it not pure?  Isn’t your heart just as pure right now in this moment as it was the day you were born into this world? Look deep within your own heart and you will be truly blessed with the deep knowing that you are the Love that Jesus came here to reveal—you will quite literally see that endlessness that is God! Wow!

Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14) What is the nature of light?  Is it contained by anything? Where does it begin and where does it end?  If you are light are you not the most pristine Silence? If you deeply know that you are the light of the world, can you really trivialize yourself?

When you stop both the internal and external conversation you have an opportunity to see that which is eternally free, that which can never be taken from you.  When you deeply know that you are the light of the world you will deeply know your own majesty.

Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

You are the Joy that you are seeking. You are that endless Silence! What amazing good news is This?! What amazing Joy is This?!

How will you share your joy today?